POEMS OLD AND NEW
2. Point out and remark on the force and appropriate*
ness of the several metaphors used by Dryden.
3. Write a note on the epigrammatic quality of Dry den's
verse.
4. What is an allegory ? Mention other famous allegories
in English.
5. Mention other examples of " Great wits ... to mad-
ness near allied." How did this description apply to
Shaftesbury ?
Epitaph on Charles II.
i. Basing your poem on a similar paradoxical remark
about some famous historical (or fictitious) character (e.g.
James I—the wisest fool in Christendom), write his epitaph
in the style of that on Charles II.
The Combat.
1. What is meant by calling a poem "mock-heroic"?
Show how this poem deserves the name, e.g. how it preserves
the heroic pretence and how it introduces the " mock"
element. Name other mock-heroic poems in English.
2. Express in your own words what precisely happened
in this extract.
3. It was said of Pope that " he turned Pegasus into a
rocking-horse" : from an examination of this extract
would you agree or disagree ? Illustrate your answer froir
particular couplets.
On a Certain Lady at Court.
1. What is meant by the ee point " of a story or descrip*
tion ? Where should it be placed for effect ? Does thi:
poem lead up to and place it effectively ?
2. In what way is this poem a satire on woman ?
Elegy on the Death of a Mad Dog.
1. What is an elegy ? How far does this poem agree wit)
the definition ?
2. What 'device does Goldsmith use throughout witl
humorous effect ? Point out all the examples of its use.
3. What was the " wonder," and what docs it imply ?
Fred (p. 164), The Desired Swan-Song (p. 166), and Was<
(A 175).
i. What is an epigram ? Which of these epigrams seerr
to you most (a) humorous, (b) sarcastic ? Compare th
different methods by which they achieve their purpose.
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